Zersetzung
What is “Zersetzung?”
The East German Ministry for State Security, or “Stasi” as it is most commonly known, did far more than just bug homes and arrest political dissidents. Indeed, throughout the 1970s and 80s, under Erich Honeckerʼs state leadership, the Stasi and its vast network of unofficial collaborators (henceforth referred to “IMs,” a contraction of the German “Inofizieller Mitarbeiter”) would adopt much more insidious measures to destabilise and disembolden potential “enemies of the state.” These measures were, in fact, so insidious, that many victims of so-called “Zersetzung” operations would only uncover the true extent of the Stasiʼs interference after Reunification, when Stasi records became available to the public.
Prior to Ulbrichtʼs departure from East Germanyʼs leadership in 1971 due to failing health, the Stasi had been known for its ruthless and oftentimes brutal treatment of prisoners and those suspected of harbouring an anti-state ideology. Honecker, however, aimed to establish the GDR as an internationally-recognised nation – for this end, East Germany would have to (ostensibly) adhere to the United Nationsʼ principles. In 1972, the GDR signed the Basic Treaty with West Germany, which called for a greater emphasis on human rights, and the Helsinki Accord in 1975. In line with the stipulations of these treaties, the SED government was seen to reduce the number of political incarcerations in the GDR, though this didnʼt necessarily mean an increased leniency towards political dissenters…
21st December 1972, signing of the Basic Treaty between FRG and GDR
Why Zersetzung?
Thus, the idea for Zersetzung came about, The term was first brought into the lexicon by the Nazis, whose “Wehrkraftzersetzung” was a multifaceted term denoting any crime undermining – or “decaying,” which the word literally translates to – the military´s strength, punishable by death. For the Stasi, however, Zersetzung was not an overt criminal penalty – indeed, Honecker intended to circumvent the penal code as best as he could. Instead, Zersetzung incorporated elements of operational psychology to destroy a potential dissident on a personal, psychological level – it was a preventative measure, not a punishment for those who had already committed “crimes” against the SED government. On Zersetzung, British journalist Luke Harding writes, “The security serviceʼs goal was to use Zersetzung to “switch off” regime opponents. After months and even years of Zersetzung a victim’s domestic problems grew so large, so debilitating, and so psychologically burdensome that they would lose the will to struggle against the East German state. Best of all, the Stasi’s role in the victim’s personal misfortunes remained tantalisingly hidden. The Stasi operations were carried out in complete operational secrecy. The service acted like an unseen and malevolent god, manipulating the destinies of its victims.”
How was Zersetzung carried out?
Much like a “malevolent god,” the Stasi utilised its omniscience – that is to say, its huge network of IMs, to collect the personal information required for Zersetzung to be truly effective. To really get into a personʼs head, the IM would take particular note of personal insecurities, such as homosexuality, alcoholism, pornography addictions – or secrets with the potential to destroy oneʼs home life, often extra-marital affairs. Yet, whilst this espionage was highly effective, the Stasi often constructed fake information or set up situations to lure a victim into, for instance, adultery. Anonymous letters, dating agency flyers, doctored photographs, telephone calls and telegrams were all methods employed during Zersetzung operations to spark tension within the home, leaving “dissidents” too embroiled in personal scandal to harm the State on any level.
Another aspect of Zersetzung which Harding brings up is its incredibly covert, “tantalisingly hidden” nature – this really being the linchpin in the operationʼs effectiveness. Even if a person suspected the Stasiʼs involvement in their personal misfortune, how could they prove it? Certainly, anyone attempting to absolve themselves of blame for an affair by claiming photo evidence was created by the Stasi, or that their tyres were slashed by the Stasi, or that the Stasi had entered their apartment and changed the time their alarm clock was supposed to go off, would appear to lack responsibility for their actions at best, or seem completely mad, at worst. Coupled with a victimʼs own belief that they may indeed be suffering from psychosis, this dynamic would further isolate a victim from their peers. This, of course, played right into the Stasiʼs hands.
In actual fact, the Stasi and its network of IMs was very much to blame for these domestic disturbances, with an average of three IMs allocated to each victim. In the Stasi college of law, students were increasingly taught the principles of operational psychology so as to be adept at damaging victims most effectively on a psychological level – itself, a form of operant conditioning, as the process used positive punishment (simply the idea that repeated punishment for an action will dissuade the punished person from committing the action again,) to deter victims from their State-critical sentiments. A teaching manual of approximately 50 pages was disseminated to students of the law school, detailing these methods.
“Discover love anew!” This pamphlet was sent to homes as part of Zersetzung operations, to make it appear as if the targeted person/their partner had shown interest in a dating agency, creating domestic tension.
Friedenskreis Pankow
A case study illustrating the Stasiʼs use of Zersetzung is to be found in the document entitled “ Zersetzungsmaßnahmen gegen den “Friedenskreis Pankow,” “Zersetzung measures against the Pankow Peace Circle.” In this document, the author/s lays out the aims of their operation and proposes various measures typical of Zersetzung operations for achieving these. The Peace Circle was a Christian-led oppositional group in the Berlin district of Pankow, who would meet to discuss topics such as peace, environmental protection and disarmament. This kind of group was a typical target of Stasi espionage and Zersetzung, amongst:
- Associations of people making collective visa applications for travel abroad
- Artists’ groups critical of the government
- Religious opposition groups
- Youth subculture groups
- Groups supporting the above (human rights and peace organisations, those assisting illegal departure from the GDR, and expatriate and defector movements).
First page of the Zersetzung document kept by the Stasi regarding the Pankow Peace Circle
The Stasi, perceiving the group as a potential threat, intended to “reduce the influence, activities and number of participants,” to “prevent the enemy from building up a state-independent peace movement,” and moreover, to “unsettle the leading figures of the peace circle and neutralise their influence.” To achieve this end, the document’s author proposes the following – note the instrumental role of IMs in the operation:
- IMs who are argumentative, confrontational and biased will be sent to peace circle debates to ignite heated debate. For this precise operation, the document notes the selection of 25–30 students, divided into approximately six smaller “task forces.” Each task force is to be assigned a leader, who is fed instructions regarding the most inflammatory demeanor and arguments to adopt, having infiltrated the circle. Naturally, as a group rooted in pacifism, the idea that the group might have hostile members would not only put off potential members, but would shake the foundations of the circle, who could no longer trust the intentions of its members.
- The reputation of the circle is to be further damaged by the arrival of a “Jehovahʼs Witness,” who will arrive “to preach his faith.” As part of his reasoning for why members should turn to the religion, he will decry alleged adultery within the group, depravity, and the fact that the members are espousing a polyamorous “free love.” He will allege that a member took inappropriate photos of other members bathing during a Mecklenburg “peace hike,” at which point, he will produce an edited photograph created by the Stasi. This infiltration would leave members questioning their personal safety within the group, with many members asking for clarity from the Superintendent of the Circle, who was, of course, unaware of the accusations. This method would have been especially efficacious for the Stasi – a movement cannot pose any significant threat to a government if its own members do not trust one another.
- To shake the already unstable marriage of one member, the IM Horst Hoffmann will inform the member in a staged “man to man” conversation of an affair he had “heard about” between the member´s wife and another man, rendering him too despondent from his marital woes to contribute meaninfully to the Circle. Here, prior espionage is highlighted as an important facet of Zersetzung – the Stasi knew to target this manʼs marriage specifically, since they had already gathered data regarding a very real affair between the member´s wife and another man. Therefore, adultery was a point of particular contention in the marriage, and the member would have been more likely to believe that his wife had engaged in a second affair, making this “well-meaning memberʼs” conversation all the more devastating.
Olof-Palme-Friedensmarsch and Pilgerweg 1987, organised by the Pankow Peace Circle.
Image credits: http://www.alt-pankow.de/friedenskreis/geschichte.html
These are just a select few stages of the operation, however. If you would like to read the full document, it is available here:
https://www.stasi-mediathek.de/medien/zersetzungsmassnahmen-gegen-den-friedenskreis-pankow/blatt/24/
Thank you for reading!
